[Lanelle]

I'm just curious about other people's experience with building double-faced SRW. Which product is your favorite and why? Are there any that have been unsatisfactory and why? This whole issue seems to arise when someone wants a sitting wall along the perimeter of a patio. Sometimes the patio needs a wall to support the base. Sometimes it is simply a request for the sitting wall.

[Paul]

Straight or curved? We have done a few at different parks. I like the old Pisa wall stone for a straight wall but here they have discontinued colors. The newer stile Pisa II wall units have a top bar that are grooved for trimming off. The harder walls are the double curved walls that really need both tapered and straight wall units. We do limit them to 21" exposed height above grade and if I had my choice I would limit curved walls to 18" above grade. In the high traffic parks that we do we glue all courses up, but I think for most homeowners you could get away with gluing just the last 2 courses. We used to do V-lok walls but had problems with pins not lining up when we switched directions on the pattern.

[Lanelle]

Have you worked with the Europa style or the Country Manor?

[scl]

I've been using Unilock Quarry Stone. I like the look,, kinda like their Brussels, but less expensive and has a locking bar.

[Rex Mann]

Country Manor was designed specifically to be used as a double-sided wall. It has a rockface on both sides. My vendor will start making this wall in January. And, I can't wait.

Now we use Celtic Wall to do Double -sided. Doesn't matter if it is curved or straight.

We also, limit those walls to around 20" total height. And, glue each course.

Peace,

Rex

[Rex Mann]

Another look.

Peace,

Rex

[jwholden]

Rex,

My supplier just built a new display with a double sided wall similar to what your picture shows. However, when I got there the wall was finished and a couple coping units were on top because they were still thinking about this dilemma.

Did you put some space between the two walls to account for the coping overhang? On the wall I saw the units were butted against eash other and it seemed the back, or inside, of every coping unit was going to have to be cut as well. That is a time kill central unless you've got a secret...

[Rex Mann]

JW,

The caps on this wall are approximately 12" deep. The wall units are 8" deep. Therefore, you are right, there is a gap between the sides of the wall.t had to cut the sides of the caps. The caps across from each other have the same angles only reversed because the wall is serpentine.

A straight wall or a single radius wall is pretty straight forward.

Peace,

Rex

[jwholden]

Rex,

Was there a method to that madness or is it one of those trial and error operations? The joints on your picture look tight so you obviosly knew what you were doing!

[Rex Mann]

JW,

There is a method. It is not simple to explain in words. It just takes experience with walls and caps.

Peace,

Rex

[Stonehenge]

This one was done using Versa-Lok. Around here the selection is rather limited, though Quarry Stone is around now, and I've bid a couple walls with it, but didn't land those.

I've found a double radius to be particularly difficult (when using a single block), because it's really tough to get the radius dead perfect. So we ended up doing a fair amount of cutting. The lookk of a 2' wide wall just seems to large to coordinate well with the rest of the project we're doing. Though I've seen quite a few hollow core double-sided walls put up by competitors that look pretty nice (except for them being so wide).

This wall pictured is a retaining wall where it's below patio level, and was installed in the normal fashion. Once it's at patio level, we switched to double split units, no setback....and lots of cutting.

[Stonehenge]

Ooops - forgot the pic.

[PSUscaper]

Hello,

as I read these posts, I think back to a job I priced out earlier this spring with the double sided coventry.

I have not done a double sided wall yet, so figured on the worst. The block was extremely expensive, and being the wall was curved, I kind of figured it would lead to a LOT of cuts to get the desired, acceptable results.

I think I would reprice that one know. I just see these walls as being a job that turns from a week to two weeks in a split second.

I was planning on using a 16" blade on my K950 to cut all the way through the block to make things easier, but it seems like a pain still. As I see it, you just about have to cut every single block to get tight seems on both sides when doing a curved wall.


steve

[Paul]

Posting a couple of seat walls we have done for one LA, these where for his family. The first one was done a couple of years ago.

[Paul]

another view